1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of networked computer systems, and particularly to a network training system and method having a dedicated, remotely-located network laboratory that students can remotely access, manage, and configure via a student interface and via a link to a communications network, such as the Internet.
2. Relevant Background
In recent years, the information technology (IT) industry has been rapidly expanding. To support this expansion, there has been a large demand within the IT industry for well-trained IT workers. Additionally, IT employers often require that candidates for their IT positions be certified (i.e., pass a certification exam) to use, install, and/or administer, as applicable, the networking and other IT equipment utilized by the IT employer. For example, an employer that uses Cisco Systems, Inc. routers and servers to network its employees, facilities, and information operations may require that all of its IT workers be certified to install and manage Cisco® networks and IT equipment. In response, a number of educational services companies now provide the specialized training courses necessary to provide IT students with the required knowledge and hands-on experience with specific IT equipment to pass certification tests developed by the IT equipment manufacturer.
These IT courses have generally been based on the traditional instructor led, on-site training model. Specifically, the course provider gives the course at a specified location or classroom where they position all of the equipment necessary to model or replicate an actual IT network and to allow an instructor and the students to configure and manage the various components of the IT network. For example, the students and instructor may each have a monitor, keyboard, and CPU (e.g., a personal computer (PC)) that are connected directly to a group of IT network components that make up a networking laboratory. For example, if the networking laboratory is modeling a remote access network, the IT network components may include a number of routers, a Web access server, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server, a file server, a firewall or other security device, and components that model telecommuter and branch office access via a public service telephone network (e.g., PCs and modems connected via a telephone switch to a channel bank or similar device and servers connected via a network such as a frame relay cloud). During the course, students gain hands-on experience by configuring and manipulating the functional IT equipment located in the adjacent networking laboratory, typically by entering command lines through their PCs. The hands-on experience is limited to a fixed number of hours allotted for the students to use the networking laboratory.
Typically, students must master configuration of both computers (e.g., workstations, network interface cards, servers, and the like) coupled to a network and routers, hubs, and firewalls that form the network infrastructure. Each of these devices presents specific interfaces that must be learned and mastered. For example, server configuration involves knowledge of operating system commands and interfaces for Windows® NT, UNIX, and the like. As a further example, router configuration involves knowledge of the router operating system (e.g., Cisco® Internetwork Operating System or “IOS”) and management interfaces. Although simulations of these devices may be technically possible, it is generally considered by those in the network training industry that simulations cannot replace the hands-on learning experience provided by a functional networking laboratory. To date, the network learning experience has required physical proximity of the student to the networking laboratory hardware.
While generally producing acceptable training results, the existing instructor led, on-site network training model has a number of ongoing problems and drawbacks. To provide hands-on experience for certification, the classroom equipment and IT equipment in the networking laboratory must be current or up-to-data, high-end equipment of the IT equipment manufacturers. Consequently, the equipment, and especially the networking laboratory equipment, can be very expensive at costs of $200,000 to $500,000 or more for a 24-person classroom. Due to this high cost, course providers usually purchase a limited quantity of the IT equipment needed for giving a course and move the equipment from one location to another to offer the same course in different locations (e.g., different cities, states, and countries). As can be appreciated, the cost for shipping the equipment including insurance and the time required for packing and unpacking are both large and are incurred for each move to a new classroom location. Moreover, import/export restrictions often make it very difficult, if not impossible, to present courses at international locations. Additionally, before a course can begin, an adequately sized and equipped classroom facility must be located and reserved, and the classroom and networking laboratory equipment must be unpacked, installed, and initially configured. Due to the complexity of the IT equipment, this initial set up can take considerable time and effort (e.g., 4 to 8 hours set up time) which further increases costs and, unfortunately, may even cut into time that was allotted for completion of the course and laboratory.
Another concern with the existing network training model is the restrictions on when and for how long students are able to access the networking laboratory. Typically, the students are given a fixed amount of time to access the networking laboratory to gain their hands-on experience. If a student works at a slower pace, the student may not be allowed to finish the offered laboratory exercises before the equipment is packed up and shipped to the next course location. Additionally, the laboratory time is typically only provided during the regular course hours, such as when the instructor is available to be in the classroom. This rigidity in the laboratory times often makes it difficult for students to attend all of the offered laboratory class times due to other commitments.
The IT industry also faces the ongoing question of whether a job applicant for an IT position will be able to perform the specific job related tasks. Presently, the IT industry has to rely on the certification and other educational processes to give an indication of whether a candidate has the proper skill sets to perform the IT tasks. Unfortunately, there is currently few ways for a prospective employer to readily prescreen or test a job applicant (certified or not certified) on specific IT skills, such as configuring and debugging an IT network similar to that used by the employer.
Consequently, there remains a need for an educational method and system for providing IT and network management training to large numbers of students in diverse geographic locations at lower cost to the student and training provider. Preferably, such a system will provide a simplified system (i.e., having less components) while still being able to provide a high level of laboratory experience to the students with increased flexibility of laboratory time scheduling for the students. Additionally, it would be preferable that the method and system be useful for prescreening IT job applicants by allowing testing of the applicants actual job-related IT skills.